


The Conundrum of Feeling

by snowharasho



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Komaeda and Nanami being very helpful, M/M, Naeishi make a cameo because why not, TPG + Kamukura friendship, Testing Kamukura's patience
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-09-26 07:49:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20386216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowharasho/pseuds/snowharasho
Summary: Nanami and Komaeda attempt to set up their antisocial classmate with a certain Reserve Course student. Kamukura is forced to realise he might have a problem and is definitely not in denial.





	The Conundrum of Feeling

**Author's Note:**

> (Written by my sister :D)
> 
> There is a distinct lack of best SDR2 ship everywhere so I have to contribute something here too!!

Kamukura looked out of the window, staring straight at the Reserve Course building. Not that he had any reason to, the building just happened to lie in his line of sight, and Kamukura was bored out of his mind and therefore staring out of the window, which was what bored people did. 

Behind him, two of his classmates were whispering to each other, if by whispering they meant talking in direct earshot of the person they were talking about. 

Kamukura paid them no mind as they continued to gossip amongst themselves. He really didn’t want to be here - classes were boring for someone who knew more than the teachers themselves. Really, he was only here because a certain nosy rabbit would not stop pestering him to go to class and hang out with his classmates, and while Kamukura was extremely talented in ignoring noisy people and rabbits, he decided to humor her occasionally. Not because he wanted to go to class or took pity on her, but because he had nothing else to do, and at the very least it had a chance to be slightly more interesting than just sitting in his empty room.

Despite that, the chances for more _ annoying _ things to happen was also significantly higher. Case in point, the class representative and the (unintentional) class troublemaker talking behind his back. Literally.

“Look, Komaeda-kun, Kamukura-kun’s doing _ it _ again.”

“Nanami-san’s deduction must be correct. If Kamukura-kun keeps looking in _ his _ direction, then it must surely mean something!”

“I’ve watched enough dating sims to know, if you keep glancing over at someone, then you’re probably…!”

“Agreed! Wait, watch? Don’t you play them?”

“I do, but I’m not that good at them… So I’m watching others play them to get better.”

“As expected of the Ultimate Gamer! Looking to improve your skills and not giving up so easily!”

“Um, thanks. Anyway, back to Kamukura-kun…”

Good grief. Kamukura could very well tune them out and ignore them, but there was really nothing else for him to focus his attention on. Make no mistake, he was not curious, or anything like that, but he figured he should at least listen to what wild assumptions they were making about him. 

“Do you think we should ask him about it?”

“I don’t think Kamukura-kun would admit it too easily. In fact, it kind of feels like he’s ignoring us even though we’re standing so close and talking so loudly.”

…

“Maybe he’s just daydreaming. I do that all the time.”

“Haha! Oh! Do you think he might be thinking about _ him _?”

“Oooh, how romantic. I like it.”

Kamukura continued staring out of the window. His eyes settled on a moving figure in the distance, slowly making its way towards the fountain. That would do. He followed the figure as they walked closer and closer to the main course building, and as they got closer Kamukura could make out the person was a young man wearing the black reserve course uniform, and his most striking figure was the spiky clump of hair sticking out from his-

Kamukura whipped his head to look at _ anything else _ but the man. Unfortunately, his dramatic movement caught the attention of Nanami and Komaeda who rushed over to express their concern.

“Did something happen? Um, I’m sorry I said you weren’t a good kisser…? It was a joke.”

“There’s nothing to be worried about, Kamukura-kun! We are all assured your kissing ability is truly ‘Ultimate’!”

Kamukura held his head in his hands as he refused to look at the two who were spouting such asinine things about him. Such an impulsive act from himself was unusual. He was debating whether to walk out of the classroom, back to his room and reflect on the meaninglessness of life. Nanami had begun to wave her hand in front of his face. 

“Hello? Kamukura-kun? I’m sorry…”

Komaeda folded his arms and frowned. “I don’t think he’s deep in thought this time. It looks like he’s ignoring you.”

Nanami drooped. “Oh.” Then, a few moments later, she perked up. “But, but! I won’t give up. I’ll help Kamukura-kun be more honest with his feelings.”

“Amazing recovery, Nanami-san! Of course, you may use me anytime to achieve your goals.” Komaeda cheered, lightly clapping along.

“Um, I won’t use you... But you can help.”

“I’ll help!”

Kamukura decided to finally say something to deter them from ‘helping’ with his nonexistent feelings.

“How boring.”

Perfect. A classic response. If he repeated the same thing over and over again, perhaps they would finally give up and leave him alone. Unfortunately, Nanami simply ignored him and pulled a chair over so she could face him. And she pulled another chair over so that Komaeda wouldn’t be awkwardly standing and watching them.

_ Why_.

Kamukura would stand up and walk off, but he suspected that would only fuel their delusions that he had something to hide. Nanami coughed a few times before leaning in closer to whisper to him.

“Komaeda-kun and I were discussing some stuff, and we came to the conclusion that we should help Kamukura-kun come to terms with his feelings.”

“And what are those ‘feelings’?” Kamukura asked dryly.

Nanami gasped, and looked at Komaeda. She poked his sides a few times before he got the hint.

“Oh! You know. Love? Romantic attraction? _ Hope _?” Komaeda answered on her behalf.

“Yes. Love! Probably.”

_ So she wasn’t even completely sure. _ Unsurprisingly, because there was no way Kamukura would experience such pointless emotions towards another person. 

“Who is this person I supposedly experience romantic attraction towards?” Kamukura asked, deciding to humour them. Although, he had a clear idea of who it might be.

“Obviously, it’s Hinata-kun.”

“What is your proof?”

Nanami lightly banged her fist onto the table. She was getting awfully worked up about this. “We noticed you’re always staring at him in class, so…” 

“Even I can’t possibly see him from this distance.” Kamukura replied coolly.

Nanami squinted out of the window and sulked when she realised he had a point.

“Ah, but when we hang out together, you always seem to be staring at Hinata-kun.” Komaeda added.

…

“I do not recall looking at him any more than you two.” 

Komaeda’s lips curled into a small smirk, the sight of which irritated Kamukura. Nanami turned to whisper something into Komaeda’s ear. Kamukura ignored the fact that he could read their lips as they whispered to each other. Unfortunately, ignoring his problems did not make them go away. He could pick out the word ‘tsundere’ being repeated multiple times and he did not like it.

“Anyway, we’re going to hang out with Hinata-kun for lunch, so you should join us.”

_ They’re planning to leave us alone, _Kamukura predicted. However, that would give him a good opportunity to slip away from those two.

“Don’t worry! We’ll support you all the way, even if he is just a reserve course student.”

Kamukura gave Komaeda a withering stare as he nervously laughed it off. 

“Fine.” Kamukura consented. He simply wanted to shake them off, and at the very least this will let them leave him alone, at least until lunch time.

Both Nanami and Komaeda were equally surprised at Kamukura’s quick approval. 

“Then, um, see you at lunch.”

They made their way back to their seats, and finally, Kamukura could get a few precious minutes of peace and quiet. At least, until the teacher called in sick and Mioda started one of her impromptu rehearsals. 

Kamukura looked out of the window again. The figure of Hinata was gone, most likely returned to his own class, all the way back at the reserve course building.

\-----

The bell rung, but half the class had already gone. Kamukura watched as Komaeda woke Nanami up from her nap as he waited for them to approach him. He was not particularly looking forward to lunch, but it was not like he was dreading it either. All that would happen was that he would have a normal lunch with Hinata, and Nanami and Komaeda would be disappointed and move on from their delusions. 

“Hello, Kamukura-kun! Are you ready for your date?”

Kamukura looked past Komaeda as he answered. “It is not a date.”

“Haha, you really remind me of Hinata-kun.”

…

Kamukura did not respond as Nanami rummaged through her rucksack for her purse. She managed to find it and stood up.

“Okay, I’m ready. Hinata-kun should be meeting us at the fountain as usual.”

“I wonder what I should eat today?” Komaeda mused, as the two of them took the lead, chatting about normal things that were thankfully not about Kamukura or his ‘love life’.

Kamukura followed behind. He could disappear at any moment, but somehow, he felt like sticking around. If he went back, it would just be boring. Admittedly, being around Komaeda drastically increased the chance of something interesting happening.

Eventually, the three of them made their way to the fountain, and sure enough, Hinata was sitting on the side, reading what appeared to be a textbook.

“Hinata-kun, we’re hereee!” Nanami called, and Hinata perked up instantly, closed his book, and waved.

“Yo guys! Wait, Kamukura’s here too?” 

“Mm, that’s right. He said that he wanted to-“ Kamukura swiftly jabbed Komaeda with his elbow, causing him to bite his tongue and yelp.

“Komaeda-kun! You okay?”

“Nn. Mm fuhn…” Komaeda mumbled as he held his cheek. 

“Um, we’ll go get ice…” Nanami mumbled, dragging Komaeda off to the school’s conveniently located convenience store.

…

Now the two of them were alone. He should have expected something like this to happen. Hinata watched, speechless, as Nanami hauled Komaeda away.

“So, um, how’s school…?” Hinata attempted to start a conversation.

“Boring.” Came the one word reply. Hinata chuckled nervously. Kamukura felt an annoying, unusual sensation in his chest.

“I knew you’d say that. Uh, you hungry?” 

“Not particularly.” He answered truthfully.

“Should we wait for them to come back or…” Hinata trailed off, looking at the ground. Kamukura’s eyes wandered away.

…

This was… boring.

Kamukura glanced back at the other boy, who was fidgeting with his sleeve. It was clear he was trying to find something to say, but Kamukura had just stopped all attempts of starting a conversation with his bluntness. It was not like Kamukura was bad at conversation - he could hold one with no problem if he wanted to, but most times, he didn’t bother. Conversations often played out predictably, so Kamukura had grown used to severing them early with short and concise replies. So why was it that he felt so troubled by Hinata’s behaviour?

He was just a talentless reserve course student, ordinary in all senses of the word, yet Kamukura found himself intrigued by him. Hinata Hajime frustrated him, frustrated him as he could not understand why he was so frustrated.

“Are you hungry.” Kamukura murmured, to take his mind off his _ feelings _. It was more of a statement than a question.

Shock was clearly visible on Hinata’s face. “Huh? Um, actually, yeah… but uh, we can wait for them to come back first…? Since you’re not hungry…”

“We can meet with them at the store.” 

“Oh, I guess you’re right.” Hinata replied hesitantly, realising that his friends had headed to the convenience store earlier. 

Neither of them made any motion to stand up. Kamukura figured he’d have to make the first move, and stood. As he predicted, Hinata followed, shoving his book into his bag first.

…….

Even Kamukura was feeling affected by the awkward tension between them. Kamukura wordlessly walked towards the convenience store, and Hinata walked beside him, but he could tell the other boy was putting some distance between them. Kamukura made it look like he wasn’t paying any attention to the reserve course student, but his eyes snuck glances when he was sure he wasn’t looking. Out of the corner of his eye, Kamukura could see Hinata whip out his cellphone, and was frantically texting Nanami or Komaeda. 

Kamukura did not care about what Hinata was typing, and focused his gaze at the convenience store that was within sight. Standing outside of the store was Nanami, fiddling with her phone, and Komaeda holding an ice pack to his cheek. 

Just then, a light tap interrupted his observation. Kamukura turned to Hinata, who had a tense expression on his face, withdrawing his finger slowly.

“Hey, Kamukura, why don’t we go somewhere else to eat?”

Even Kamukura was caught slightly off guard by the impromptu suggestion, but he figured it might have something to do with _ whatever it was _ that Hinata was texting Nanami. 

“Where?”

“Uh, the cafeteria…?” Hinata’s voice trailed off, clearly unsure.

Kamukura had planned to avoid Nanami and Komaeda anyway, so perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. Or most likely not, as he was certain Nanami was the one who instructed Hinata to bring him _ somewhere else_, where the two of them could be alone. There was nothing to be gained by refusing, so Kamukura gave a slight nod. Hinata’s face lit up exponentially and his eyes seemed to sparkle, and Kamukura felt a sharp _ sensation _ in his chest. As to what exactly that sensation was, he had no idea, and that bothered him greatly.

“Okay! Let’s go! Uh, wait, can I even crash the Main Course building…?”

Hinata looked expectantly at Kamukura. “Yes.” He replied, curtly.

The Reserve Course student let out a nervous laugh. “Ahaha, it’s probably okay… If I sneak in with you…”

The two of them turned away from the convenience store and headed towards the Main Course building. The building that Hinata used to stare wide-eyed and in awe at, but ultimately crushed his dreams…

Kamukura could sense Hinata stiffen as they approached the building. He could also very clearly sense the two figures tailing them while whispering amongst themselves. It appeared the nosy duo had no intention of leaving the two of them alone at all. Perhaps Kamukura should have_ incapacitated _ the Ultimate Luck back then. 

Ignoring their stalkers, Kamukura walked in silence with Hinata. At last, they reached the tall gates of the Main Course building. Hinata gulped. Getting frustrated by the other’s hesitation, Kamukura took the first step through the gates, and Hinata followed behind. Nothing happened. Hinata relaxed his shoulders as he quickened his pace to catch up with Kamukura.

Then Hinata realised he had no idea where the cafeteria was, and was about to take out his phone to ask for directions.

...

Kamukura’s hands reached out without thinking, and came into contact with Hinata’s. Hinata paused, and their gazes met. From that brief touch, Kamukura could feel his heartbeat faintly. Kamukura pushed Hinata’s phone back into his pocket and swiftly withdrew his hand.

“The cafeteria is this way.” Kamukura turned, and without another word, started walking through a corridor. 

Hinata stared, wide-eyed, mouth agape. Their stalkers stared too. Kamukura did not have to look back to picture their expressions. After a few seconds, he could hear Hinata’s frantic footsteps as he caught up to him again.

“Thanks…” Hinata murmured under his breath, too soft for any normal human to hear.

But Kamukura was not any normal human.

\-----

The cafeteria was buzzing with activity. Hinata looked on with amazement and jealousy as he counted the variety of stalls. 

“It’s huge! You guys have so many choices! Not just Japanese, but Western, Chinese, Indian…? That’s curry, right? It’s different from normal curry, right?” The Reserve Course student was overwhelmed with excitement and appeared to have gotten over the awkward situation from before.

Unfortunately, Kamukura had not forgotten the _ sensation _ that he felt once more, in that moment, that only served to frustrate him even more. It was not the first time he had done something unintentionally, but he had realised that most of his impulsive actions came as a result of one Hinata Hajime, one way or another. 

“Hey, Kamukura? I’m gonna try the curry! Is it expensive?” Hinata asked, and promptly realised that the other man was not listening. “Kamukura? Are you there?” He waved his hands in front of his face, and Kamukura snapped his head to look at him.

“... Go find somewhere to sit.” Kamukura commanded, before disappearing in the crowd of students. 

“Hey, wait! Don’t tell me you’re gonna…!” Hinata trailed off, realising his cries were useless. More importantly, he didn’t exactly want to draw too much attention to himself, but he was still shocked that Kamukura could vanish in the blink of an eye.

While Hinata looked for an empty seat, Kamukura headed straight for the Indian food stall. Why exactly did he decide to order food on Hinata’s behalf? The simple answer was that it was much more efficient for Kamukura to handle it - he knew that Hinata would end up changing his mind and second-guessing what to eat. The Main Course cafeteria had much more choices compared to the pitiful selection in the Reserve Course. 

Unfortunately, there were two other students queueing for the same stall. Even more unfortunately, they were both instantly alerted to his presence. 

“Kamukura-senpai, you’re here?” The shorter male gasped, visibly amazed.

“Oh, it looks like you’re finally coming to school!” The other man chastised, frowning. Kamukura paid the hall monitor no mind as he blankly stared past the two. Eventually, they gave up trying to start any kind of conversation with him and started talking to each other instead. 

As Kamukura idly watched the two juniors discuss what to eat, his gaze settled on the tuft of brown hair sticking out of the shorter one. Irritatingly, the shape of his spiky hair was evoking some unwanted thoughts about another certain spiky-haired student.

_ How utterly boring. _

Even his mind must have become dull, as his usually clear mind was clouded with pointless thoughts about that Reserve Course student. He was still unable to figure out the root of such frivolous thoughts, thoughts that had only grown greater in their frequency yet were as unimportant as ever. There was no reason why his thoughts should linger on such a normal, average person, yet the mind works in frustrating ways. Kamukura could not deny that there was _ something _ about Hinata that made him not as annoying to spend time with.

“Why do you think he’s here?”

“Perhaps, it is simply because he is hungry! Even a _ genius _ like him would get hungry!”

“But I rarely see him in such a crowded place...”

“Hmm… It is indeed unusual…”

Still looking off to the side, Kamukura turned his attention to the two gossiping about him. If Kamukura could feel, he would feel a great sense of deja vu at this moment. 

“Oh! I got it! Maybe… he’s on a date!”

For a brief second, the temperature in front of the stall felt as if it dropped a few degrees. The _ ‘lucky’ _student paused, clearly sensing the threatening aura breathing down his neck.

“I was… just joking. Hahaha… There’s no way Kamukura-senpai would, um, have someone like that…”

“I don’t think that was very funny. It’s much too implausible to be even considered!” The noisy one replied, before patting his trembling friend on the back. “He’s probably just hungry! Let’s not think too hard about it!” The hall monitor appeared unfazed by the tension emanating from the man behind them. 

Humans were really far too predictable. The odds that two completely unrelated pairs of people would come to the same foolish assumption about him on the very same day should have been nearly impossible. 

The younger Ultimate Luck hastily placed his order, and his friend followed. Kamukura made it a point to glare daggers into his back the whole time, unblinkingly, and hearing the boy stumble over his order amused him for about a microsecond. 

Finally, Kamukura was able to order. He briefly considered getting the spiciest curry for Hinata to observe his reaction, but decided to go for the boring and safe choice instead. Not because he held any concern towards the boy, but simply because… 

_Convenience_. It was more convenient. 

Kamukura placed his order, a normal chicken curry and an extremely spicy one for himself. Once again, he ignored the cook’s surprised reaction upon seeing him actually order food. He really did a lot of ignoring today. He balanced the trays on his hands and deftly made his way through the crowd. Beforehand, he had already scoped out the cafeteria, and deduced the most likely spot that Hinata would be sitting at. Naturally, his deduction was correct.

Kamukura pretended not to acknowledge Nanami and Komaeda, who were sitting a few tables away, ‘inconspicuously’ throwing glances his way every few seconds. Kamukura noticed Hinata was texting on his phone again.

Elegantly, he lowered the trays onto the table, and Hinata looked up from his phone, and pocketed the device. “Oh! There you are…” 

Kamukura sat opposite him and watched as Hinata took in the sight and aroma of the curry.

“You didn’t have to… but um, thank you.” Hinata mumbled, staring down at the curry. A small smile tugged on his cheek as he averted Kamukura’s gaze.

A… smile? 

“Whoa, yours is really red…?!” Hinata exclaimed, finally noticing Kamukura’s curry being a different colour. Kamukura simply nodded and took a bite. Even with his heat tolerance, Kamukura could still feel the tingling sensation in his throat. How interesting. He took another bite, unflinching.

Hinata watched on in amazement before deciding to try his own meal. Slightly hesitant, he brought the spoon to his lips before taking a deep breath and putting it into his mouth-

Immediately after he swallowed, his cheeks started to redden and he stuck out his tongue, panting as he scrambled for his water bottle. He took a big gulp of water and continued huffing.

“Sho… spicy!” He gasped, “how do you even handle it?!”

“I was created with such a high spice tolerance.” Came the simple reply.

“Haha… it tastes really good though! It’s totally different from normal curry!” Saying that, Hinata continued eating, drinking water along the way.

Like most humans, Hinata appeared to be drawn to spicy foods, even if they make him suffer. However he supposed it was the same case for him, though he definitely did not even break a sweat, the tingling sensation gave him a brief sense of excitement. 

_Excitement_. In the end, most humans were in pursuit of something that excited them. 

“So, um, do you like the curry?” Hinata asked in an attempt to make small talk.

Subjectively speaking, it tasted good, and the flavour was much stronger than other curry. Objectively, Kamukura got bored of the taste after a few bites. He thought back to Hinata’s reaction a while ago, when he asked if he liked any particular sort of food.

“...Yes,” he lied, for no reason other than to appease him.

Hinata’s eyes widened in surprise, and a grin was much more visible on his face. “That’s good! I was worried you’d just say it’s boring again…” 

…

Kamukura didn’t reply and continued eating. Hinata did as well, until he noticed _ someone _ signalling to him and making vague gestures on what to do. Kamukura observed the other man stealthily, he was mouthing some words to the nosy duo sitting across from them. As Kamukura has expected, those two were _ still _trying to set them up on a ‘date’. More perplexing, however, was the fact that Hinata seemed to be going along with their ridiculous whims. 

...Not that Kamukura cared. He had no need for romance or companionship. Whether it was with Hinata or anyone else.

While Hinata was still being distracted by his friends, Kamukura had finished his plate. He dabbed his lips with some tissue paper and noticed a speck of curry next to Hinata’s lips.

Wordlessly, he reached over to wipe it off. 

“Eh?” Hinata blinked, and Kamukura noted that his face was rather red, most likely from the spice. Embarrassed, Hinata quickly finished the rest of his meal.

As Kamukura stood to return his tray, Hinata grabbed his arm and pulled him down.

“I’ll do it!”

He probably wanted to return the favour. Kamukura sat back down and watched as Hinata attempted to carry the trays to the return area. He heard a pair of familiar footsteps approaching him.

He refused to turn around.

“Kamukura-kun, how’s it going?” Came the cheery question from the man who had just bitten his tongue moments ago.

“We had a decent meal without _ interruptions _.” Kamukura replied. 

“How was it, hanging out with Hinata-kun? Did you increase your bond points?” Nanami asked, ignoring the snide remark.

“It was nothing special.” 

Komaeda and Nanami both looked unconvinced.

“Hmm… I’m not that good at romance and stuff, but I’m pretty sure I felt some kind of spark between you two…!” Nanami mused.

Kamukura narrowed his eyes. “You are mistaken.” 

“Ah, but it was rather gentlemanly of you to buy food for him! The Kamukura-kun we know wouldn’t do that for _ anyone _!” Komaeda chirped. 

“I would suggest you do not speak if you treasure your tongue.” 

Komaeda paused momentarily. “Is that a threat? Well, if it’d help Kamukura-kun come to terms with his _ emotions _, I will gladly sacrifice my-”

“No! No sacrifices!” This time, Nanami was the one who jabbed Komaeda’s rib. The unfortunate man yelped as he bit his tongue again. A look of worry crossed the class representative’s face. “Ah, um, I’m sorry…”

“Nn! It’sh okay!” Komaeda replied, waving it off. 

Thankfully, before Nanami could pester him some more, Hinata finally walked back towards him. 

“Uh, did something happen here?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at the somewhat injured Komaeda. 

“Ah, um, it’s my fault…” Nanami replied guiltily, while Komaeda simply shook his head. “Um, anyway, enjoy the rest of your date.” 

“D-date?!” Hinata exclaimed, his face turning a slight shade of pink. Kamukura shot the gamer yet another piercing gaze. 

Hurriedly, Nanami dragged her fellow nuisance away as Komaeda gave Kamukura and Hinata a thumbs up. At the very least, Hinata’s response was a sign that he was not under the impression that spending time with Kamukura was a _ date. _

_ The thought both relieved and disappointed him. _

Even more bothersome thoughts continued to plague Kamukura’s mind. Their lunch period was almost over, which meant that their time to spend together was coming to an end. Irritatingly, he found himself feeling yet another tinge of disappointment. 

It was not like he _ enjoyed _ spending time with Hinata. He would describe their lunch together as… absolutely normal. It was completely ordinary in every sense of the word. Yet why did he not want to watch the Reserve Course student say goodbye, and return to his class? Just what was it about Hinata Hajime that made Kamukura drawn to him?

Kamukura had thought that the fastest way to figure out was to spend more time with him, but all he got were more questions than answers. Kamukura let out a small breath he had been holding, and noticed that Hinata was staring at him with a look of confusion. 

Upon realising that Kamukura had stopped blankly staring off into the distance, Hinata finally spoke, “I should head back soon, huh…”

Kamukura could hear the reluctance in his voice. He nodded. 

“Oh, but, uh, before we head back… do you want a drink? I’m kinda thirsty, haha…” Hinata nervously laughed, scratching the back of his head. 

“... Alright.” Kamukura replied. 

Hinata gave him a small smile, and this time he took the lead and started walking, before stopping a few steps later and turning around.

“Um, is the vending machine that way?”

“There is one over there,” Kamukura advised, as he turned to walk in the opposite direction. Hinata briskly followed. 

What Hinata did not know, and what he did not need to know, was that there was another vending machine in the direction Hinata had headed. However for whatever reason, Kamukura decided to bring him to a more secluded one, further into the building. They came to a stop in front of a row of vending machines tucked away into a corner. Hinata immediately went to purchase a can of orange juice, before looking back at Kamukura.

“Hey, what drink do you want?”

“...Anything is fine.”

“Haha, I thought you would say that… uh, then, I’ll get you another can of juice.” Making his decision, Hinata went to get another can of orange juice. He held it out for Kamukura. “Here you go.” Once again, Hinata was _ smiling _.

The stirring in Kamukura’s chest intensified. He nodded and took the can, his fingers brushing against the other man’s for a second. 

Hinata looked over at a bench. “Shall we sit down?”

Kamukura refrained from making a comment on how the other student should probably return to class soon, as the Reserve Course was not exactly near this building. The two of them took their seats on the bench. Hinata popped open his can and took a sip of his juice. Kamukura glanced down at his own can, and did the same. It tasted too much of artificial sweeteners.

On the other hand, Hinata was enjoying his drink. He took a few more gulps and let out a satisfied ‘ah’.

Kamukura observed him. Despite his circumstances, Hinata was able to find a brief respite from the stress of school and societal pressures, doing something as simple as drinking orange juice. He observed the carefree expression on his face, the way his shoulders seemed more relaxed compared to back at the fountain. Hinata was… enjoying himself.

Kamukura felt his lips twitch involuntarily, and promptly brought the canned drink to his mouth. 

The two sat in silence, Hinata occasionally taking a few sips of his juice. From his distant look, Kamukura could tell he was deep in thought. 

“Hey, today was… fun. Thanks for hanging out with me.” 

For once, Kamukura had no idea how to respond. His normal instinct was to shoot down whatever the other person said, but he couldn’t, because it was _ Hinata_.

“...Yes,” he replied, after much deliberation. He was mildly annoyed at how unsure he sounded.

“Then, um, let’s hang out again sometime? Only if you don’t mind, of course, I’m sure you’re really busy or maybe you’re bored of hanging out with someone talentless like me…”

Kamukura still did not understand. By now, he should have gotten bored of Hinata, just like with any other person. And yet…

“I am not completely opposed to it. You are… refreshing.” _ Especially compared to his classmates. _

“Refreshing?! Oh, uh, thanks…” 

“...However, if I lose interest, I shall take my leave at any time.”

Hinata’s face fell. He was visibly offended. “T-that’s kinda harsh…” 

…

Kamukura glanced to the side. “It was a joke.”

“A-a joke?!” Hinata could not believe his ears.

Kamukura decided to say no more on the matter. “It is almost time for your next lesson.” He reminded.

“Oh, right…” Once again, Hinata was audibly disappointed. “I guess I’ll slowly head back…” 

Kamukura watched as Hinata trudged back in the direction of the exit. 

He stood up and quickened his steps, and before long he was walking beside Hinata once again. Hinata shot him another incredulous look.

“What are you doing? You should head back to class too.”

“Class is boring,” Kamukura exhaled. “You, are not.”

\-----

Eventually, Kamukura arrived back in his classroom. He strolled in leisurely through the back door, as if he weren’t a couple minutes late.

“Kamukura-kun! Where did you go? I was so worried you wouldn’t show up!” The teacher remarked, concerned.

“The bathroom,” he replied coolly, before returning to his seat. Immediately, Nanami turned back to whisper to Komaeda.

_ “Hey, do you think, Kamukura-kun and Hinata-kun…” _

_ “Without a doubt, I sense something very hopeful has occurred!” _

_ “Does that mean, mission success?” _

Kamukura gave up on listening to them, and focused his thoughts elsewhere. He looked out of the window, not paying any attention to the frustrated rabbit trying to scold him. 

Humans are always in pursuit of excitement. 

Kamukura could not deny that he might have something, or _ someone, _ to look forward to the next day. And perhaps, there was nothing wrong with that.

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a short fic, what happened? Why is Kamukura so hard to write? Why does he keep saying the same things? Why does he think too much? Why is he such a tsunde- I mean, why is he very not honest with his feelings? My small brain is too tiny to comprehend his Kamukura-ness. But I will suffer for him (and his boyfriend).
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like this fic! Thanks for reading!


End file.
